Outer Space & Universe
Outer Space & Universe
Space, also known as outer space, is the near-vacuum between celestial bodies. It is where everything (all of the planets, stars, galaxies and other objects) is found.
On Earth, space begins at the Kármán line (100 km above sea level). This is where Earth's atmosphere is said to stop and outer space begins. This is not a firm boundary but is a convention used by scientists and diplomats.
Items in space are free to move back and forth; up and down; and left and right. These three dimensions are what make 3D space. Items also move forward through time, which is sometimes called the fourth dimension.
The majority of space contains very little matter and so most of it is a vacuum. Scientists do not know how big space is but we do know that space is extremely big, and is always expanding.
According to the big bang theory, all matter and energy in the Universe was compressed into a very small space. Then it exploded and started expanding. Space is still growing in size today; this means the distance from one galaxy to distant galaxies is getting longer.
Gravity is the force that keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth and the planets in orbit around the Sun. Gravity can stretch and bend space similar to how a heavy ball placed on a stretched sheet of rubber will cause the rubber to stretch. The scientist who discovered that space can bend is named Albert Einstein. How gravity bends space is part of his theory of general relativity.
Astronauts, Cosmonauts, Taikonauts and Spationauts
An astronaut is any person who is trained by NASA to travel and perform tasks in space. Although the space traveler may not necessarily be a United States citizen, each astronaut does go through a rigorous training regiment by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Other space travelers go by other names then astronaut depending on their country of origin.
In the United States, astronaut is derived from the Greek words ástron (star) and nautis (sailor). While, in Russia, a space traveler goes by the name космонавт (English: cosmonaut), which is derived from the Greek words kosmos (universe) and nautis (sailor). Westerners call a space traveler from China a taikonaut, based on the 1998 writings of Chiew Lee Yik and Chen Lan where the term tàikōng (great emptiness), Chinese for “space”. In China, the term yuháng yuán (universe navigator) is used for space traveler.
Only the United States of America (United States), Russia (earlier, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), and the People’s Republic of China (China) have sent manned spacecraft into space. Other countries have assisted these countries by sending their own space travelers on space missions. For instance, a French space traveler is called a spationaut (from the French word spationaute), which is derived from the Latin spatium (space) and Greek nautis (sailor). (plural in Greek nautes = sailors)
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Falcon 9-Reusable (F9-R) 1st Stage Firing
Added 528 Views / 0 LikesTest firing of the first stage of F9-R--advanced prototype for the world's first reusable rocket. The test took place at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, TX, lasting 112 seconds. Unlike airplanes, a rocket's thrust increases with altitude
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Falcon 1 Vandenberg Static Fire
Added 488 Views / 0 LikesFalcon 1 rocket static test firing prior to launch, at Vandenberg AFB, Space Launch Complex 3 West (SLC-3W).
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03:31
SpaceX Testing - Falcon 9 Engine Test
Added 546 Views / 0 LikesThe full mission duration test firing of the Falcon 9 first stage lasting nearly 3 minutes. The nine Merlin engines produced 855,000 lbs. of thrust and consumed over half a million pounds of liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene during the test. More in
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Grasshopper Divert | Single Cam
Added 447 Views / 0 LikesOn August 13th, the Falcon 9 test rig (code name Grasshopper) completed a divert test, flying to a 250m altitude with a 100m lateral maneuver before returning to the center of the pad. The test demonstrated the vehicle's ability to perform more aggressive
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Mission Overview | Next Gen Falcon 9 Demonstration Flight
Added 469 Views / 0 LikesOn Sunday, Sept. 29th, SpaceX successfully completed the demonstration mission of its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket, delivering the CASSIOPE, CUSat, DANDE and POPACS satellites to their targeted orbits. Read more about the mission at www.spacex.com/news.
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Grasshopper 250m Test | Natural Sound
Added 527 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Grasshopper flies 820 feet, tripling its March 7th leap. Grasshopper is a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle that SpaceX has designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. While most rocke
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SpaceX Fairing Separation Test
Added 437 Views / 0 LikesVideo of SpaceX's 5.2m fairing—designed in-house by SpaceX—undergoing testing in the world's largest vacuum chamber at NASA Glenn Research Center -- Plum Brook Station. SpaceX's fairing is used to protect a satellite during launch. Separation occurs when
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Ride-Along View: Grasshopper 12-Story Test Flight 12/17/12
Added 435 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Grasshopper takes a 12-story leap towards full and rapid rocket reusability in a test flight conducted December 17, 2012 at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas. Grasshopper, a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (VTVL), rose
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SpaceX CRS-1 Mission Update: 10/22/2012
Added 388 Views / 0 LikesAn update on the SpaceX CRS-1 mission to the International Space Station. For continuing coverage of the mission, visit spacex.com/webcast and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/spacex.
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00:59
Multi-Angle: Grasshopper 12-Story Test Flight 12/17/12
Added 429 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Grasshopper takes a 12-story leap towards full and rapid rocket reusability in a test flight conducted December 17, 2012 at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas. Grasshopper, a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (VTVL), rose
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00:52
Single Camera: Grasshopper 12-Story Test Flight 12/17/12
Added 462 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Grasshopper takes a 12-story leap towards full and rapid rocket reusability in a test flight conducted December 17, 2012 at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas. Grasshopper, a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (VTVL), rose
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02:22
SpaceX CRS-1 Mission | October 2012
Added 419 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX CRS-1 Mission - First commercial cargo resupply mission to space station - October 7-28, 2012
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00:21
Grasshopper Two-Story Hop 11/1/12
Added 434 Views / 0 LikesOn 11/1/12, SpaceX's Grasshopper vertical takeoff and landing test vehicle (VTVL) hops nearly two stories (17.7 feet/5.4 meters). Duration was 8 seconds using closed loop thrust vector and throttle control. SpaceX is working to develop vehicles that are f
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Raw Video: Dragon Splashes Down in the Pacific
Added 296 Views / 0 LikesThe first raw video from the recovery boat, as Dragon splashes down in the Pacific, 12:22PM PT October 28, 2012.
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01:17
Grasshopper 250m Test | Single Camera (Hexacopter)
Added 384 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Grasshopper flies 820 feet, tripling its March 7th leap. Grasshopper is a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle that SpaceX has designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. While most rocke
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01:30
Grasshopper 250m Test | Ring of Fire
Added 517 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Grasshopper flies 820 feet, tripling its March 7th leap. Grasshopper is a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle that SpaceX has designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. While most rocke
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00:44
Merlin 1D Engine Flight Qualification Test
Added 415 Views / 0 LikesThe SpaceX Merlin 1D engine has achieved flight qualification, a major milestone for the next generation Merlin engine. Through a 28 test qualification program, the Merlin 1D accumulated 1,970 seconds of total test time, the equivalent run time of over 10
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This is SpaceX
Added 307 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches the world's most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets. Today, Spa
